1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of construction and more specifically, the construction of walls from tile.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Walls surrounding bathtubs and showers generally are provided with a plurality of individual tiles secured together providing a waterproof surface. It has been the practice to first construct a wall made of fiber glass and to then adhesively secure individual tiles to the wall. As a result, it is relatively costly to produce such a wall since each individual tile must be secured to the wall.
In order to reduce construction time, prefabricated shower shells are produced and then transported to the construction site. A liner for a shower stall is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,139,627 issued to H. L. Rice. Other shower stalls are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,292,185 issued to A. N. Lucian; 3,609,773 issued to Bernard E. Mustee; and 3,869,734 issued to Bolt et al. Tiled walls are shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,616,466 issued to O. T. Davis, and 3,675,384 issued to Walter L. Knecht.
Individual tiles are also available in sheet form wherein the tiles are secured together forming a panel such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,909 issued to W. Hartlmair. Disclosed herein is a new combination of a fiber glass shell which is produced at a location remote from the construction site with a panel of individual tiles secured together then being attached to the fiber glass shell at the construction site thereby reducing the time and expense of constructing various types of tiled walls. Also disclosed is the particular design of a fiber glass shell which is adapted for use with a shower or bathtub combination.